BELLEVUE, WA – A suggestion that the Second Amendment may no longer be “appropriate” in today’s society definitely should raise alarms about Shon Barnes, currently chief of police in Madison, Wisconsin and a reported top candidate for the same job in Seattle, Washington.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms says the Second Amendment and the rights it protects may be more appropriate now than ever before, considering the brutal stabbing murder of a Seattle Metro bus driver while on duty this week.
Barnes made the comment in what was described as a “wide-ranging interview” in May 2022 with a television reporter in Madison following the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. When he mentioned the shooter’s purchase of two firearms, Barnes stated on camera, “We have a lot of things that are legal, but is it the right thing to do? We have to rise above that. And sometimes it requires an evolution of our thinking. What was written in 1789 may not be appropriate for 2022 unless we’re okay with kids being killed.”
“Simply because society may have evolved since the Bill of Rights was ratified does not mean we should surrender the right of self-defense, much less the right to keep and bear arms,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “If Barnes is selected to lead the Seattle Police Department, he should understand the rank-and-file supports the Second Amendment, and that since the city began pushing its gun control agenda ten years ago, the number of homicides has nearly tripled. We’re never ‘okay’ with kids getting killed. In fact, we’re not okay with anyone getting killed.
“We are also alarmed,” he continued, “that if Barnes thinks the Second Amendment may not be appropriate, what other rights does he think are outdated? What about the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination?
“Chief Barnes has a Ph.D.,” Gottlieb noted, “and he’s served with at least three law enforcement agencies during his career. By now he should have figured out you don’t fight crime by trying to disarm potential victims, but instead by making it clear to criminals they might literally have chosen a ‘dead-end’ lifestyle.
“In addition to the Second Amendment,” Gottlieb added, “Washington state’s constitution has one of the strongest right-to-bear-arms provisions in the country. Evergreen State citizens, especially those living in Seattle and surrounding King County, are not about to give up their rights. They can far better determine what is ‘appropriate’ in the Pacific Northwest, and our rights never go out of style.”